Roles & Expectations Summer 1984

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One wag, an Episcopalian, observed that on the question of authority, Roman Catholics point to the Pope, Protestants to the Bible, and Episcopalians to the previous rector. When it comes to people's expectations of the pastor's job description, lifestyle, and even personality, every congregation is shaped by the previous pastor, plus TV evangelists, memories of childhood ministers, radio preachers, and . . .

What elements make up the pastoral image? Which expectations do you live up to? Which must you live down?

To discuss these questions, LEADERSHIP editors Marshall Shelley and Terry Muck went to Milwaukee to meet with three pastoral couples:

-Stuart and Jill Briscoe, who serve Elmbrook Church in suburban Waukesha.

-Michael and Bonnie Halcomb, who minister at Mayflower Congregational Church of Milwaukee.

-William and Paula Otto, who serve Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in north suburban Mequon.

Leadership: How much should you live up to the congregation's image of "the pastor," and how much do you have to be yourself no matter what?

Stuart Briscoe: It is utterly impossible to meet the diverse expectations within a congregation. Rarely will they all be communicated to you, and even if they are, what two people expect may be mutually exclusive.

But you can't just dismiss these expectations as unrealistic. If you do, you find yourself in an adversarial role. You develop an arrogant, independent spirit; you lose your credibility and ability to lead.

It's a fine line and requires open communication about what may be impossible demands.

Bill Otto: This is a complex problem, but it gets to the essence of what ministry is. Often the image is based on a distortion. For instance, Scripture speaks of all church members as ministers, but many ...

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